ABOUT

“Electronic music has a family, a legacy and a future…” : JEAN-MICHEL JARRE

“From all our work comes inspiration. We have been very lucky because the music we envisioned, the ideas we had of The Man-Machine and electro music, have become reality and technology has developed in our direction… and electro is everywhere!” : RALF HÜTTER

“Synthesizers can be explored and explored, and the music that can be made with electronic instruments is infinite in its breadth. KRAFTWERK may have said ‘we are the robots’, but anyone need only listen to Trans-Europe Express and compare it to most of the turgid, boring guitar-based rock that has been produced over the last 30 years to realise that electronic music can be deeply emotional. And anyone who says electronic music is not real music is just too simple-minded for our patience I’m afraid!” : MIRRORS

“It becomes legacy and history when you make a good record; it becomes baggage when you don’t” : DANIEL MILLER

“Today’s luxuries are tomorrow’s norm” : WALTER GROPIUS

“A lot of people who bang on about the 80s don’t actually know what they’re talking about” : PHILIP OAKEY

“I don’t like country & western, I don’t like rock music… I don’t like rockabilly! I don’t like much really do I? But what I do like, I love passionately!!” : CHRIS LOWE

“Sooner or later, one has to take sides to remain human” : CLAUDIA BRÜCKEN

“These bastards, they steal your synthesizers!” : SYNTHESIZER PATEL

“I insist that I am never credited as a keyboardist on records. A keyboard player is some kind of all-round entertainer, sat at his keyboard using various presets. I insist on synthesizer”: KURT DAHLKE

“The synth is not dead… it’s up to you and me to keep the legacy alive” : JOHAN BAECKSTRÖM

“Ohm is where the ARP is” : RODNEY CROMWELL

Founded on 15th March 2010, The Electricity Club aims to feature the best in new and classic electronic pop music. It doesn’t promote bands or support scenes, it just writes about the music it likes, and occasionally some music it doesn’t like…

With informed opinion and trivia, The Electricity Club embraces synthpop, ie pop music that uses synthesizers, while aiming to avoid lazy terms such as analogue, 80s and contemporary. It’s like acid house never happened… AND WE’RE PROUD OF IT!

And if the music featured somehow reflects the roots of the past, then so what? As the highly respected Factory Records biographer and historian James Nice put it: “I have no problem at all with something new being imitative, as long as it’s good”. Indeed, there are no illegal connections.

Don’t believe in contemporary fakes, believe in The Electricity Club. Those who are unable to tell their tape recorders from their drum machines need not apply… 😉

The Electricity Club’s Contributing Team

PAUL BODDY

Paul has a chequered music industry-based background. His first official show was seeing DEPECHE MODE on the ‘A Broken Frame’ tour at The Brighton Dome and he has been a regular gig goer since. His favourite current artists are THE PRESETS, GRAFTON PRIMARY, INFECTED MUSHROOM, RAMMSTEIN and AESTHETIC PERFECTION.

Paul’s musical showreel includes songwriting and synth programming for Spice Girl MELANIE C, writing for J-Pop superstars ARASHI and a top 10 single with a dance version of the Sergio Mendes classic ‘Mas Que Nada’ as part of the duo ECHOBEATZ. As EMP, he has undertaken a variety of bootleg electronic remixes, some of which can be heard on his Soundcloud. He also works as a music technology lecturer at Basingstoke College of Technology and owns 26 TANGERINE DREAM albums.

IAN FERGUSON

Glaswegian musician Ian fronts the synth duo RAINLAND. His tastes vary from the classic Synth Britannia stalwarts like ULTRAVOX, HEAVEN 17, THOMAS DOLBY and OMD to rock icons such as RUSH, MARILLION and GENESIS. Indeed, it is a great surprise to learn that Ian’s favourite keyboard player of all time is Tony Banks.

His other favourite artists include ASSEMBLAGE 23, IMOGEN HEAP, VILE ELECTRODES, TENEK and ADVANCE. A big presence on the domestic music scene, Ian combines frank and forthright views with a sharp sense of humour.

SIMON HELM

Simon officiates over the Nordic friendly music blog Cold War Night Life, named after the debut album by RATIONAL YOUTH. He recently released ‘Heresy’, a tribute compilation to the Canadian synthpop trailblazers. His portfolio also includes two well received live music events ‘An Evening With The Swedish Synth’ and ‘A Secret Wish’.

He developed his love of the Scandinavian electronic scene while studying in Stockholm. His favourite acts include PAGE, SISTA MANNEN PÅ JORDEN, TUXEDOMOON, TEST DEPARTMENT, PSYCHE and S.P.O.C.K. while he also helped put together the event programme booklet for Electronic Summer 2015 in Gothenburg.

KERSTIN KEY

Kerstin is a fan of electronic pop, in particular OMD and GOLDFRAPP but also indulges in a spot of bass playing on the side to go with a love of MUSE. With her interest in art, design and theatre, she has a cosmopolitan view of life. A self-confessed “food lover, traveller and geek”, she is “aspiring to be a badass unicorn every day”.

Her first concert was THE BACKSTREET BOYS while her favourite new synth act is VILE ELECTRODES. While spending time with her daughter and maintaining a number of website projects, she manages assorted aspects of The Electricity Club.

CHI MING LAI

Chi is a keen observer of the electronic pop genre whose work has gained respect and recognition over the last few years. His knowledge of the Synth Britannia era is almost encyclopaedic and he often gets text requests from friends needing help at pub music quizzes! The legends he has interviewed for The Electricity Club reads like a ‘Who’s Who?’ of the electronic pop.

As well as writing for a number of music publications, he has also conducted live discussions at the ELECTRI_CITY_CONFERNCE in Düsseldorf and contributed the booklet notes to ‘The Singles’ CD by German band CAMOUFLAGE released by Polydor Records. His first album was ‘The Pleasure Principle’ by GARY NUMAN while his first concert was OMD at Hammersmith Odeon.

RICHARD PRICE

Richard first started taking live photos during THE HUMAN LEAGUE’s concerts in the noughties and his work has featured on some of their official merchandise. More recently, one of his images was used on an official T-Shirt sold through Urban Outfitters. His portfolio has also been used in the tour programmes of OMD and THE HUMAN LEAGUE.

His first album purchase was GARY NUMAN’s ‘The Pleasure Principle’ while his live initiation was ULTRAVOX at Hammersmith Odeon in 1981 where he bought a ticket off a tout for the then extortionate sum of £7!!

STEPHEN ROPER

Stephen is best known for ‘Back Stage – A Book Of Reflections’, a detailed account of GARY NUMAN’s imperial years between 1979 – 1981. The book featured contributions from Numan himself and band members Chris Payne, RRussell Bell and the late Cedric Sharpley, plus support acts OMD, SIMPLE MINDS and the sadly departed NASH THE SLASH.

In 2015, he also successfully hosted an appearance by WOLFGANG FLÜR in his hometown of Norwich. His first gig was THE UNDERTONES, followed by Numan at Ipswich in 1979 while his first album purchase was DAVID BOWIE’s ‘Low’. Current synth acts who Stephen favours include MARSHEAUX and VILE ELECTRODES.

MONIKA IZABELA TRIGWELL

Bred on DEPECHE MODE, THE HUMAN LEAGUE and ERASURE from an early age, thanks to a synthpop loving older brother, the multilingual Polish-born Brit loves the arts and holds a Masters degree in British literature and drama. Her first album purchase was ‘Black Celebration’, although her first gig wasn’t DEPECHE MODE… it was PEARL JAM!

Monika has established herself as the Julie Burchill of TEC, being the harshest of our critics, with bands weary of what she may say about their releases. Known for her interesting use of non-musical language, Monika says it as it is, often with a twist…

Disclaimer: The Electricity Club is a non-commercial web publication with no official affiliations to any recording acts, record labels or organisations. All content is the sole opinion of The Electricity Club and is not intended to malign any organisation, group or company. No infringement of copyright is intended with use of images and any can be removed immediately upon request.